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I usually don't like the 98-00, or even the 95-97 for that matter. (I'm a 93-94 guy) But that car is in such good shape and so clean I'll make an exception, I like it.
The silver color really pops out. The first pic brought back some good memories from when I was a kid cruising down the highway going cross country with my parents in a giant silver 66 Lincoln Continental pulling the big chrome Airstream behind us. Thank you.
Congrats on the purchase, it'll bring you many years of enjoyment.
Thanks deanshark.
I just pulled the cover off the idle ports and its completely black. Used carb cleaner and a rag to clean that out, opened up all the 8 idle holes with cleaner and a pick-type instrument, then started the engine up and warmed it, added 1/3 can carb cleaner to the two big idle ports (per that thread) and took it for a brief spin. No more excessive throttle sensitivity at low speeds. Tomorrow ill drive it stone cold to see where the 2-3 shift point is. Before the cleaning it was above 2K for the first shift of the day. So if that first shift drops down I'm good, otherwise I will repeat the port cleaning with the rest of the can of carb cleaner. right now when the engine is warm the throttle response feels very much like my LS430 - smooth. The idle is also right at about 750-800 and smooth as glass.
The throttle body is probably in bad shape, am putting TB cleaning on the to-do list.
By the way, the idle port cover with the two screws did not have a rubber gasket, like there is on my LS 430. Is there supposed to be a gasket for that cover?
Excellent! I'm glad it sorted out that excessive throttle sensitivity! And a super easy fix. I gave mine two cleanings fwiw. If it's never been addressed, and given your carbon build up that's likely, it may take a lot of attention.
I'm not sure about the gasket. I don't remember. I can check my car when I get home if nobody else come up with a good answer.
Things are coming up roses now for my new '98. Yesterday a Toyota dealer service tech changed out the ORIGINAL timing belt, WP, idlers and tensioner after 25 years and 146,700 miles. That belt did not have much life left in it, cracking all around the belt on the smooth side, not missing any teeth though.
Got my WA plates and registration.
The McGard key for the locking lug nut fit perfectly. Its now in a bright pink pouch in the trunk next to the scissor jack where I won't miss it.
The throttle sensitivity issue is pretty much gone. I think I will run the rest of the can of carb cleaner through the 2 big idle ports just to make sure those passages are clean. Idle is smooth and at the right RPM.
I notice on the highway it take very little throttle to hold it at 55 mph. if I am not paying attention I am at 60-65 pretty quick. The tires I have on it must be a low rolling resistance. Car feels more powerful than my '05, but that might just be because the ECU has not finished adjusting to my driving style (grandpa).
As a bonus, I reset the average trip fuel economy gauge for the drive home (about 45 miles mostly highway, hilly, no wind, light traffic) and it read 31.8 when I pulled into town. This is about 6% better than I ever got on my '05 at any time over 5 years and 30,000 miles. This is BEFORE I change the spark plugs, clean the throttle body. It has a fresh OEM air filter, clean MAF sensor, running 92 premium with a bottle of Techron for this tank.
I have that little metal gasket on the idle port cover shown in the drawing above, so I am good on that score.
I am lucky to get 25mpg on reasonably flat and straight highway. You must have had quite the downhill average distance to hit 32. I've seen it before, when I dropped 1000ft elevation and had basically ideal conditions. Or maybe my car has some associated issue causing it to run pretty rich fueling (this wouldn't surprise me).
I'm glad you got the belt changed. And I'm also shocked it lasted this long. Maybe they are more durable than they say...
I really dodged a bullet on the TB. Here's a few photos of the old one. I had thought maybe I should trailer the car to the dealer to get the belt changed - in retrospective that probably would have been a better idea than risk it breaking.
regarding the mileage there was a slight loss of elevation on the trip, maybe 400 feet or so. The conditions were really ideal. I have trained my right foot from driving my VW diesels for the last 20 years to get mpgs in all my cars way way above the EPA estimates, on the highway at least- another story for another day, A 25 year old, 146000 mile TB. Cracks line up exactly with the gaps between the teeth.
I really dodged a bullet on the TB. Here's a few photos of the old one. I had thought maybe I should trailer the car to the dealer to get the belt changed - in retrospective that probably would have been a better idea than risk it breaking.
A 25 year old, 146000 mile TB. Cracks line up exactly with the gaps between the teeth.
The rubber you see shapes the teeth and covers the cords inside. The cords are generally made from polyester, fiberglass, or kevlar depending on the application.
Timing belts are much stronger than most people realize. Calling it a "belt" is somewhat of a misnomer.
my belt looked like that at 132k when i performed the replacement. yes it's certainly worn but it is reinforced and you would have been ok driving to the dealership. i had to climb over a mountain pass at hwy speeds to get my LS home before i checked the belt.
the 90k change interval is very conservative but i would still stick with it since belt condition is not just based on mileage. it's a good indicator but it's also dependent on humidity, engine condition, and driving habit. what usually kills the belt is a seized idler/tensioner bearing so the belt overheats and pop!
I'll post some interior pictures tomorrow or the day after. Its Showroom-like, except for a bit of leather cracking on the driver seat bolster. The passenger and rear seats look like they were never sat in and the dash and woodworking are flawless. Dove Gray (?) color. The original Lexus floor mats are gross and going in the garbage as soon as the new Lloyd mats arrive.
Your standard grey interior but in great shape headliner, not shown, is perfect. Look like never sat in. Woodwork is flawless. Nakamichi sounds great. The heated seats take a while to warm up, like my '05.
Now having had a chance to drive, service and inspect the car a bit more, the suspension is good. PO replaced the upper control arms with OEM some time ago. The car has a slightly different, feeling underway from the '05, hard to describe, but probably attributable to the 16 inch wheels and mediocre but new Toyo tires in the '98 vs. the 18 inch wheels and Pirelli tires in the '05.
My only complaints so far: 1) the tape player makes an awful noise and stops playing the cassette after a few seconds. Bummer - I like my tapes. 2) the cartridge for the CDs is missing, have a new one from a dealer arriving soon. 3) the headlights are a definite step down from my '05. I need an LED upgrade, will research that next. If anyone has suggestions please chime in.
Throttle body was surprisingly clean. New plugs going in tomorrow or the day after. MPGs on the highway are consistently excellent.
After 3 transmission drain/fills, cleaning the idle ports and throttle body, and resetting the ECU the car is very smooth and responsive.
Headlight upgrades are okay, but you really "throw out" a lot of light when retrofitting lights into the existing housings. Improper calibration can throw it into oncoming traffic and all that mess.
I wonder if it's possible to retrofit the OEM optional HID lights. I have them in my car and sure, they aren't modern car collapsed sun - but they're perfectly acceptable and you never "outrun" the lights, nor am I ever wishing they were better.
Thanks for that suggestion on the HID lights. I'll check that out. My '05 has outstanding headlights - will see if I can come up to that level.
I changed out the plugs yesterday - a breeze using a heater hose section to start threading in the new plugs. I've taken off and on that whole air box contraption going to the throttle body so many times now I can do it in my sleep. Took it on another cruise this morning and I am really impressed with the smoothness and power of this '98 after all the deferred maintenance I have done is now complete. Imperceptible shiifts. Tons of power. Needs only a wee bit of throttle to maintain a steady 55-60. No noises at all from the suspension. Can not hear the power train when under way - have to look at the tach to see if its still running. Transmission is well-behaved at all speeds and when stone cold. 29.1 mpg for the tank so far, 72 miles mixed mostly highway.
Got the CD magazine for holding 6 CDs from lexuspartsnow (~$ 25 plus shipping) and loaded up the Rach 3 piano concerto (Argerich, p.) and that sound system is fantastic. I think it is even better than the Mark Levinson in my '05. I'm also enjoying the very simple, intuitive and easy to use controls for climate and audio, mirrors, defrost etc.. No navigation in my car- but I don't need it anyway. I really think this is one of the best user interfaces in a car I have ever seen or used. (Contrast with the horrible reviews the current generation LS gets from CR on its user interface).
Now I'm looking for a stereo shop that might be able to fix the cassette player. Once I get that fixed and acquire an OEM tool kit from ebay or the for sale forum here this car will truly be like new.
03-02-23, 06:19 AM
